


Terms of Endearment

by orphan_account



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, HSWC 2014, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 18:13:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1657817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kanaya is fitting Karkat into a suit for his first flushed date. He's understandably nervous about the whole thing, but he finds comfort in her arms, while she finds him beautifully pitiful.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>Fill for the HSWC 2014 Bonus Round.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Terms of Endearment

**Author's Note:**

> so this is a fill for the HSWC Bonus Round 1, based on this prompt: http://hs-worldcup.dreamwidth.org/18819.html?thread=3249539#cmt3249539
> 
> pale karnaya is one of my only true weaknesses and it was just too cute to pass up

_Poke_.

"Fuck!"

"Karkat, how many times do I have to tell you to hold still? I'm almost done!"

"Yeah, and that's also what you said _ten goddamned minutes_ ago, Kanaya."

"That's because we'd be finished by now if you'd refrained from fidgeting around like that." 

"I'm _not_ fidgeting-" _Poke_. "Ow, _shit_!"

You frown disapprovingly at your moirail for the nth time, straightening up and smoothing the front of your shirt. "Karkat, if I end up accidentally pricking you, then you'll bleed all over your new suit and my hard work will be ruined," you tell him dryly.

"Gee, thanks for the concern," he grumbles, moving one of his arms from its stiffly held position so that he can scratch at his cartilage nub. You sternly swat it back into place, earning you a yelp of complaint. "Hey, I have an itch!"

"And you can scratch it when I'm done- which, as I've told you multiple times, will be very soon if you can just _stay still_ and quit being such a wriggler!"

He pouts at you angrily, mumbling several colorful words under his breath, but begrudgingly complies. 

With a little sigh, you go back to pinning the cuffs on the suit jacket you made for him. You think it turned out rather nicely, and rightly so, since you did in fact put as much effort and pale affection into it as you could. Simple, formal black for the most part, though you insisted that he wear the red tie that went along with it to make the color stand out more. It's for his first flushed date, and he's taking the whole thing pretty seriously, despite you assuring him over and over again that he'll do just fine, that he can be very charming and sweet, that any troll would be lucky to have him as their matesprit. Karkat is nothing if not stubborn, unfortunately, and convincing him that he does indeed possess endearing qualities is no small task. 

You finish adjusting his sleeves and reach over for your pincushion, pulling out a couple more pins and holding them between your teeth. "I just need to hem the trousers," you reassure him around your clenched jaw, kneeling at his side and continuing to work. "And _then_ we'll be done."

He gives you a melodramatic and exasperated groan in response. "Can I at least put my arms down now?" 

"Yes, just be careful not to mess with the pins," you reply.

With a sigh of relief, he lowers his arms and resumes his efforts to remain motionless, all while looking bored out of his thinkpan. 

After a few minutes pass in silence and you've placed the last pin you look up at him again, noting that he's been remarkably quiet. Then you catch the look on his face and it immediately hits you why he kept his mouth shut. Without someone to engage in conversation, his worries were left to fester in his mind until they spread to his face, causing his brow to furrow and his lips to curl into a frown. 

You know automatically what's bothering him, and it's something you've been over with him so many times you've lost count. He opens his mouth to speak and you internally roll your eyes. _Here we go again._

"I'm going to fuck this up, I just know it," he mutters bitterly.

You cross your arms over your chest. "No, you're not."

He continues as though he didn't hear you. "I'm gonna say something stupid, or- or maybe I'll just overdo it."

"Karkat-"

"I'll come off as too clingy, and then it'll creep her out and she'll never want to talk to me again-"

" _Karkat_." You interrupt him sternly, grabbing and cupping his face in both of your hands and tilting his chin up to force him to look you in the eye. He stops abruptly, looking stunned, and you soften now that you have his attention. The poor boy's eyes are wide, his breathing heavy, like it usually gets after he's been rambling anxiously.

"Karkat," you repeat more gently, stroking his cheeks with your thumbs. "You're going to do just fine. I believe in you, you won't mess up. Also, you've been friends with Terezi for sweeps, and she genuinely cares for you. Even if you did make a mistake, she wouldn't think any less of you."

He inhales slowly, then exhales through his mouth. His gaze flicks away from yours, flitting down to look at the floor. Your words have calmed him, but now he looks a bit sheepish. "Y-yeah..." He sighs, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. "Thanks, Kanaya. For everything, I mean. Really, I have no goddamn clue where I'd be without you. Probably dead, or fucking insane or something... at the very least, I'd be a hell of a lot less fashionable." He manages a short laugh.

You smile wryly and tease, "And without you I'd have no one to fuss over, or model clothes for me."

He rolls his eyes at you, and you press a kiss to his forehead. When he goes to hug you, though, you stop him by placing a hand on his chest, and his expression morphs into confusion. 

"Take the jacket off," you prompt him, unbuttoning it and tugging lightly at the fabric. "I don't want to accidentally displace any of the pins I've spent nearly the last half hour or so tediously affixing for you."

He huffs and steps back to carefully shrug off the article, pretending to look annoyed, but you can see him trying to hide a smile. Once it's carefully draped over a chair you open your arms for him, and he's in them within seconds, his own arms wrapped tightly around you and his face buried in your shoulder. "You're ridiculous," he mumbles as he gives you a squeeze.

You grin broadly and squeeze him back. "I pity you too, Karkat."

**Author's Note:**

> (haha i managed to slip some implied/mentioned karezi in there because i'm otp trash.)


End file.
